How it happened: No. 16 Louisville runs past Virginia Tech 28-16
It was another slow start for 16th-ranked Louisville football in Blacksburg, Virginia, but the Cardinals eventually pulled away from Virginia Tech, winning 28-16 behind a dominant second half.
Louisville came out of the gates with a stop and a score — a 52-yard touchdown run from Isaac Brown on the Cards’ second play from scrimmage, but some unforced errors resulted in the Hokies entering halftime with a 16-7 lead. Virginia Tech blocked a Louisville punt that went out the back of the endzone for a safety and outgained the Cards 141-132 in the game’s first 30 minutes. U of L quarterback Miller Moss also threw an interception in the first half, which set VT up in Cardinals territory and led to one of the Hokies’ two scores.
Louisville put itself in a difficult situation starting the second half with a punt, before the defense flipped the game on its head with a shutout after the half. Despite not forcing any turnovers, Jeff Brohm’s defense held Virginia Tech to just 240 yards and stopped the Hokies on their two fourth-down conversion attempts. The Hokies were also 4-of-15 on third down and averaged 3.8 yards a play.
Cards linebacker TJ Quinn once again led Louisville in tackles with 10 and provided a tackle for loss. Other playmakers on the defensive side of the football were JoJo Evans, who had two quarterback hits, and TJ Capers, who collected five tackles and one for loss.
Offensively, Moss was 19-of-28 through the air for 136 yards and a touchdown on top of the interception. Chris Bell caught eight balls for 56 yards, and Caullin Lacy hauled in six passes for 53 yards and his second touchdown of the season. Lacy added 193 all-purpose yards, with 106 yards coming off of punt returns, one of which he was brought down at the VT five-yard line.
The Cards may not have taken the top off the defense through the air, but Louisville ran the football at will all day, finishing with 231 yards on the ground, averaging 6.8 yards per attempt.
Isaac Brown exited the game in the fourth quarter with what appeared to be a hamstring injury, but tallied his 10th career 100-yard game, going for 126 yards and a touchdown on 16 carries. In relief, Keyjuan Brown iced the game for the second consecutive week with a 24-yard scamper. He finished the day with 94 yards and two touchdowns against a reeling Virginia Tech defense.
In all, a balanced attack on offense coupled with a disciplined defensive performance in the run game catapulted the Cardinals to their seventh win of the season, and the Cards continue to roll, having won three in a row. The Louisville defense held Virginia Tech quarterback Kyron Drones to 11-of-24 passing for 76 yards and a touchdown. Drones led VT in rushing with 84 yards on 14 attempts.
Louisville moves to 7-1 overall, 4-1 in the ACC, and will host California next Saturday at L&N Stadium. Kickoff is set for 7 PM EST.
